


jack thompson sucks at communication

by untitled but hiatus (let_them_be_happy)



Category: Agent Carter (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, M/M, it goes from college to ten years later, just look at the description and it'll tell you everything, possibly permanently unfinished, that's like my motto under this pseud
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-28
Updated: 2017-06-28
Packaged: 2018-11-20 00:35:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11324982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/let_them_be_happy/pseuds/untitled%20but%20hiatus
Summary: everyone’s a baby college student and nothing hurtsJk everything hurts because Jack’s dad is a homophobic dick & beats Jack and they join the marines (without knowing the other one joined) and then become cops and they get kidnapped and Daniel gets shot-i couldn't think of a good title and the doc is titled "souson modern au" cause that's all i needed





	jack thompson sucks at communication

**Author's Note:**

> so, the longer, ao3 provided breaks are where i skipped a couple of lines to start a new scene and the - is just my normal scene break writing. of course, that's assuming i actually use - in this story because honestly i don't remember the last time i read through this story.  
> yeah, so this is possibly forever unfinished. we'll see  
> un-beta'd so all mistakes are my own

“So, Jackie,” Angie said, sliding to sit beside him, a song in her voice as she held the “ah” part of his nickname. “I hear you’ve been talking to Danny.” And she was definitely singing one of her musical songs, given her attempt at a Hispanic accent and her use of Daniel’s nickname.

Jack rolled his eyes, attempting to be polite by chewing and swallowing a bite of his sandwich before gracing Angie with a response. “I talk to ‘Danny’ all the time, Angie.”

Angie rolled her eyes in response, bumping Jack’s shoulder with her’s. “They say he’s got quite a big” - here Angie snapped her fingers twice, following the beat in her head - “taxi.”

Jack nearly choked on his sandwich, catching onto the innuendo immediately while Ana just looked at Angie innocently. “I don’t think I know what you mean,” she said, Angie’s eyes lighting up at Ana’s words like she just realized something.

While attempting to hold back a laugh, Angie leaned over the table so that Ana could hear her better. “Ana, he’s packing a stretch limousine,” she sang, holding the “sine” part for a good few moments.

Ana shrugged, maintaining her innocent expression. “So long as he keeps it clean,” she replied, making Jack almost choke on his sandwich again. After a moment, her expression broke and Ana grinned at Angie. “ _Ay dios mio_ ,” Ana sang, making Angie break out into uproarious laughter. It took a few minutes for Angie to calm down properly.

Jack, meanwhile, was attempting to give Ana the glare of death - which was nearly impossible because he could never get mad at Ana. “You almost let me choke on my sandwich for the sake of a song?” Again, Ana shrugged, grinning at him. Jack frowned at her, trying not to be amused by their act. “Some friends you guys are.”

“Unfortunately, that is one of the risks one takes when you become friends with a drama major,” Peggy said unsympathetically as she sat down across from Angie and Jack, beside Ana. She smiled sweetly when Jack turned his frown to her, taking his reaction in stride. “Aside from that, Angie does bring up a fair point.”  Peggy pointed at Jack with her fork. “You’ve never spent this much time with Daniel before this year, and suddenly you request him as your roommate for senior year? I’m fairly certain all of us, including Daniel, expected you to room with one of your football buddies.”

Using a cough as a distraction, Jack looked away from Peggy, pointedly ignoring the way she, Angie, and Ana were now staring at him. “I don’t hear a question in there, Carter. If you want an answer, you’re gonna have to ask a question first.” Cautiously, his throat still burning from coughing up his sandwich, Jack took a bite of his sandwich while Peggy was pursing her lips at him.

* * *

Jack walked onstage with his hands in his pockets, the spotlight following him shakily. Offstage, opposite the side Jack had entered, Daniel watched Jack, the brunette’s heart beating a little faster. Behind Daniel, Peggy and Angie silently high-fived each other.

Jarvis rushed onstage after Jack, realizing a few moments too late that the mic stand needed to be adjusted for Jack’s height. “Jarvis,” Jack whispered as soon as Jarvis put his hands on the stand. “I got it. Jarvis, stop, I got it.” Jack wrestled the stand out of Jarvis’s hand, ushering the other boy offstage. After adjusting the mic stand himself, Jack stood behind it, looking out at the audience - which consisted of a good portion of the school’s population. “Well, so much for my big entrance,” he joked, leading to a few nervous laughs from the audience.

He cleared his throat, shifting on his feet uneasily. “Before I keep talking here, can we give the rest of the performers another round of applause there? Yeah?” The audience did as they were asked, sending out another round of cheers and applause for all of the performers, still nervous that their efforts had been for naught that evening. “My name is Jack Thompson, for those of you who don’t know me. I’m on the football team here SHIELD University, and friends with a few of the people responsible for putting this shindig together. It’s them you have to thank for me being on stage right now.” Jack shook a fist offstage at Peggy and Angie, the smile on his face making it clear to the audience that Jack held no real grudge against any of his friends for encouraging him to do this. “The reason I’m up here is that, unfortunately, Ana Farkas, the lovely young woman who was supposed to be performing right now, was called away for a family emergency. Left with an empty slot, Peggy Carter and Angie Martinelli told me to come out here and do something entertaining.”

Jack pulled a folded piece of paper out of his pocket, holding it up for the audience to see. “The only thing I’ve got is this, which is basically an ode to the person I’m in love with. So, bear with me, ‘cause I know this isn’t gonna be the best thing you’ve ever heard.” He glanced offstage to where Peggy, Angie, and Daniel were briefly, cringing a little when he saw Peggy and Angie cheering silently. But it was the absolutely stunned look on Daniel’s face that solidified Jack’s resolve.

Once again, Jack cleared his throat, unfolding the paper before starting to read it aloud.

* * *

“Be with ya in a sec, hon!”

Jack winced at the sound of the waitress’s familiar voice, wondering if it was too late for him to leave the diner for somewhere else. Unfortunately for him, the waitress came over as soon as she was finished with her other customer, her brown hair bouncing cheerfully in loose curls over her shoulders. He attempted to hide behind his menu, knowing full well the shitstorm that would hit as soon as the waitress saw his face.

Clearly, she wasn’t going to be deterred by a customer’s awkwardness. “So, what can I get ya?  Cup of coffee? Guy like you seems like a coffee type. I knew these guys back in college who wouldn’t do anything until they’d had at least two cups of coffee that day.” Jack flinched when she rested a hand on the table, obviously intent on staring him down through the menu. “You just gonna sit there and pretend to be deaf or are you actually gonna order something?”

In an attempt to delay the lecture he would receive, Jack cleared his throat. “Yes, I’ll take a cup of coffee, black, please,” he said, keeping his voice lower than its usual level.

Failure seemed inevitable as soon as Jack opened his mouth, which turn out to be right, given the way the waitress pushed the menu flat on the table from where it was in Jack’s hands as soon as he’d finished speaking. “ _Jack Thompson?!_ ”

Jack waved his fingers weakly, offering her a half-hearted smile. “Hi, Angie.”

Angie frowned at him, writing his order down quickly before turning on her heel to get the coffee pot. On her way back to his booth, Jack saw her stop one of her co-workers, clearly asking her to cover her tables for a few minutes. Whatever it was Angie said seemed to work, if the dirty look the other waitress threw his way was any indication. When she reached his booth, Angie poured him a cup of coffee, leaving the pot on the inside end of the table as she slid into the booth across from Jack. “You better start talkin’, Thompson,” Angie said, her face unusually expressionless - a sign Jack remembered clearly meant that Angie was _pissed_. She crossed her arms across her chest, sitting back against the booth’s padding.

“Listen,” he began, leaning onto his forearms on the tabletop. “I know you’re mad at me, and I don’t know what I can do to even attempt to fix this -”

“Mad?” Jack shrunk back against the booth’s seat at the sound of Angie’s voice. There had been a reason he’d never wanted to get on her bad side in college. “You think mad covers how I’m feeling right now? The day after graduation, we all try to contact you - one way or another - and you don’t give us any sign that you’re still alive. Daniel - he even went to your house to try and see if you were there and at least _safe_. Do you know how much you hurt him when your dad said that you never wanted to see him or any of us ever again?” Angie stared Jack down, bringing her hands back down to her sides from where she had been making large gestures, only aware of all the eyes on them once she finished talking.

Jack took a deep breath, and slowly people turned away from them, now that Angie wasn’t yelling at Jack. “Angie,” he said gently, reaching across the table for her hands. She frowned at him, but complied and allowed Jack to hold her hands across the tabletop. “I’m sorry that I hurt you. If I’d had a choice, I would’ve packed up and run out of that house the first chance I got. I’m just sorry that the rest of you got involved in this shit.”

Angie’s expression softened as she began to get an understanding of what it was Jack was trying to tell her. “Jackie,” she said, her voice soft in the way that meant she was close to crying. “I - we didn’t know. None of us knew, otherwise we woulda fought tooth and nail to get you out of there, out of that house.” Angie squeezed Jack’s hands as best she could, trying to catch his eyes again when he looked down at the table. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

“I couldn’t bear the thought of any of you getting hurt in my name,” Jack replied, finally meeting Angie’s eyes again. “And I still can’t, not even after all these years. There’s a reason I didn’t contact you guys after that - I was hoping you guys would try to forget about me, find someone better for you guys.” He looked so sad to Angie’s eyes, like he was letting his guard down for the first time in years. “That’s why you can’t tell them you saw me,” Jack continued, his voice taking on a hard edge.

It was hard for Angie not to jerk away in surprise. “What? Why not? Do you have any idea how thrilled they’ll be to hear that you’re safe and healthy, let alone still alive?” She squeezed Jack’s hands, making him maintain eye contact with her. “You have any idea how _happy_ it would make them to know that you’re okay?”

Jack nodded sharply. “That’s exactly why you can’t tell them, Angie. You have to let them hate me, for as long as it takes.” Angie stared at him, still not understanding why Jack was asking her to keep him a secret. “What I did was stupid, and they should be mad at me for it, just like you should. Don’t force them to give that up.”

“But if you just _told_ them why, I’m sure they’d -”

“No, Angie.” Jack stared her down, making sure Angie understood that he was being completely serious. “You can’t tell them.”

Angie frowned, still clearly not happy about what Jack was asking her. “Alright, Jack, I’ll do it, but only because you begged me to.” She pointed at him, freeing up one of his hands. “But you better be coming in here at least once a day so that I know you’re okay.” Angie let go of Jack’s other hand, writing something down on her order pad. “I’ll give you my number so that I can text you my schedule - which you better show up during,” she continued, pointing at him again, this time with her pencil. “I’ll put everyone else on the other shifts on watch, so if you _do_ show up when it’s not my shift I’ll know.”

* * *

Jack sucked in a breath before knocking on Chief Dooley’s door, his personal belongings in a box on a chair just outside the office.

* * *

A familiar head of brown hair popped up as soon as Dooley announced Jack’s name, and Jack felt his stomach drop to the ground as soon as that head turned around to look at him. With a resigned sigh, Jack put his box of belongings down on his desk.

He didn’t even try to wave at her, just waited for her to cross the bullpen so that she stood in front of him. Jack saw her fist coming, and he wasn’t about to stop her from hitting him. So, when he went down, hard, because Peggy Carter made him see spots with a good right hook, Jack wasn’t the least bit mad. “Feel free to hit me again, Carter. I got that I deserve it,” Jack said from where he was laying on the ground, massaging his jaw gently.

Peggy frowned at him, looking down so that she could maintain eye contact with him. “While I am more than willing to take you up on that offer, I’m afraid I have to let Daniel take the next shot at you, Thompson.” Jack paled then, and it would have taken a blind man not to see the vindictive twist Peggy’s lips took when she noticed.

“Carter!” Luckily, Jack was saved for a moment by the sound of Chief Dooley’s voice. Peggy turned around then, falling into parade rest as she looked at Dooley. “Carter, what is going on here?”

She glanced at Jack before answering Dooley. “Just taking a moment to greet an old friend, Chief. If I might advise you, Chief, I believe that Detective Sousa will also be greeting _Detective Thompson_ here in a similar fashion,” Peggy added, her voice fluctuating only slightly on Jack’s name.

Dooley turned his attention to Jack, who was still on the ground where Peggy had knocked him on his ass. “I take it you know them?” Jack nodded, silently hoping that Dooley wouldn’t question it any further until Daniel had at least shown up. “Well, Carter, if it’s something Thompson here deserves, I’m not in any place to stop you or Sousa from doing anything. Just make sure you don’t hurt the kid too badly.”

Jack rolled his eyes, memories of early mornings at the gym sparring with Peggy, Daniel, and Jarvis coming to the forefront of his mind as he stood up. Peggy’s lips twitched upwards, a polite if vaguely threatening smile on her face. “I assure you, Chief Dooley, Detective Thompson is more than capable of handling whatever it is Detective Sousa or I may throw at him.”

Their chief looked between the two of them, bringing a hand up to gesture between them. “There something in your history together that I should know about?”

“We went to college together,” Jack offered by way of an explanation, fully aware that it was the first thing he’d said since Dooley found Peggy standing over Jack. “This has been a long time coming, sir, for both of them.” He looked at Peggy, catching her eye, even if it was only for a moment. “Good right hook, Carter.” She nodded at him, acknowledging his compliment.

* * *

“Jack Thompson,” a sweet, heavily accented voice called to him one day, in a department store of all places. It wasn’t demanding or even yelling, just loud enough for him to hear her over the normal chatter.

Jack knew that voice, had vivid memories of trying not to choke to death on a sandwich because of some of the things that that voice said. Out of all of them who he tried to forget, Jack didn’t think that she’d be mad at him at all. If anything, she’d be the most understanding. He straightened his back, rolled his shoulders, and turned around to face her. “Ana Farkas, though I understand it’s now Ana Jarvis,” he said by way of a greeting to her.

She smiled at him and, yup, he was right. There were only a few traces of anger in her face, but most of it was relief that he was alive and well. In response to his statement, Ana held her hand up for Jack to see her wedding ring. “Edwin had hardly gotten me back to our apartment before he proposed. We had a lovely wedding a year later. We sent an invitation, letters, multiples. Still,” she continued, her voice drifting. Ana shook her head after a moment. “No matter. The past is the past, and I am happy to see you, Jack.” She held her arms out for a hug.

Rolling his eyes but with a smile on his face, Jack hugged Ana, admitting to himself how nice it was to be on the receiving end of one of her hugs again. “I’m happy to see you too, Ana. It’s been too long.” Ana squeezed her arms around Jack, clearly not wanting to let go of him yet. “I know it’s not in your nature to ask, but, aren’t you curious?”

Ana rolled her eyes, pulling out of the hug to meet Jack’s eyes. “Jack Thompson. You go for ten years without letting us know that you are at the very least alive, and then I run into you in a department store? Of course I’m curious. But,” she continued when Jack opened his mouth to speak, holding up a hand. “It is your secret to keep. If you think you are ready to tell me, I will gladly listen.”

Jack nodded, giving Ana a small smile. “Fair enough. It’s only bitterness that’s kept Peggy and Daniel from asking what happened.”

She tilted her head to the side, confusion taking over her face. “Peggy and Daniel know?”

He winced after a moment, giving Ana a guilty look. “Angie too, but I asked her not to tell anyone about me.”

Ana pursed her lips, quite a few questions clearly on the tip of her tongue, waiting to be asked, but instead she smiled at him again, taking one of his hands in her own and squeezing it. “I”m sure you had a perfectly good reason for asking them not to tell us.”

* * *

“Chatty bunch of neighbors for a New York apartment complex,” Daniel said, heading towards the door to meet yet another set of their new neighbors, at least as long as they were undercover. Jack hummed in agreement, following behind Daniel.

Of course, it wasn’t a new neighbor who was waiting for them at the door, or at least they thought she wasn’t.

“Hi,” Peggy greeted them very cheerfully, her voice tinged with a very convincing American accent. “I heard that there were a couple of bachelors that moved in just down the hall and I just could not believe it. Me and my roommate, Angie, moved in a few days ago, and everyone seemed so friendly and welcoming, so I thought it would be smart if I offered the same sentiments to the new neighbors.” She held up a pie tin, a scarily perky smile on her face. “Either of you boys like pie?”

Jack managed to recover from his surprise before Daniel did. “Yeah, I like a good pie every now and then. C’mon in, we’ll give you a tour of the place,” he said, elbowing Daniel for him to move out of the doorway and therefore also bring him back to the present. Daniel moved to the side, his heavy steps muffled by the apartment’s carpeting.

Once the front door was shut, Peggy put the pie tin down on the coffee table in the apartment’s main room, looking around as she did. “Well,” she said, her voice having returned to normal. “It seems as though the department thought that it would be a better use of resources to put more thought into decorating your apartment then they did on my apartment with Angie.”

Sousa let out a suspicious sounding cough, like it was covering something else. Jack just looked at Peggy, a little wide-eyed at the thought of her staying down the hall from them. “Chief didn’t tell me you were in on this, Carter.”

Peggy smiled at Jack, as if he were a child who was slow in learning something. “Surely you must know about my background in espionage, Detective Thompson. Chief Dooley had thought it incredibly useful to have me on the team, despite my insistence that Angie be a part of the operation.” She arched a perfectly sculpted eyebrow at him. “Or is that on the list of things that you’ve failed to learn about me in these past few months?”

Jack cleared his throat, the gesture making it clear to Peggy and Daniel that Jack hadn’t known about Peggy’s activities in the CIA. “How’d you get Chief to agree to letting Angie stay with you, especially when you’re working undercover?”

She turned her attention back to Daniel, her smile turning less patronizing as she faced him. “I simply reminded him of Angie’s second degree, in criminal justice, and of the fact that Angie’s acting skills have proven invaluable in the past in apprehending the culprit.” Daniel and Jack glanced at each other - clearly both of them still remembered how well Angie had had them fooled several times over. “Besides, undercover work can be dreadfully boring - especially if one’s partner isn’t up for playing the part,” Peggy continued, giving Jack a meaningful look as she spoke.

“Since you’re gonna be here, what’s your cover?” Jack was quick to find a work-related topic for them to discuss, especially if Peggy’s train of thought was going where he thought it had been going.

It may have been just Jack’s imagination, but Peggy’s smiles, when turned in Jack’s direction, seemed to be getting less and less hostile every time. “I moved here with my girlfriend/roommate Angie who’s an aspiring actress. She’s gonna be looking for jobs onstage while I find a steady job with good pay, at least enough for us to survive in a New York apartment,” she explained, taking on the American accent as she did. Jack nodded approvingly. It was close enough to the truth that none of them would have any trouble remembering it.

* * *

 Jack didn’t meant to eavesdrop, or still be standing outside the bathroom. But, _God_ , did Daniel have a voice of honey when he sang. It wasn’t like Jack hadn’t known this before, it was just that Jack had forgotten how frankly wonderful Daniel’s voice was. Since cutting off all contact post-graduation, Jack had been left with memories that paled considerably in comparison to the real thing. It had been far too long since Jack had been allowed to just enjoy something, and not fear that he might be punished for it.

Unfortunately, Jack got a little distracted and didn’t realize until Daniel had almost opened the door all of the way that Daniel had actually finished with his shower and that Jack was creeping on his partner. Jack barely made it back to his room before Daniel looked up, the blonde silently hoping that Daniel hadn’t heard Jack running back across the hallway.

“I know I’m down a leg, Thompson, but that doesn’t mean you have to go running when you think I’m coming,” Daniel said, not looking at Jack as Daniel stood in the doorway, leaning heavily on his crutch.

Jack let out a cough, trying to cover his awkwardness. “Just didn’t know if you’d want me looking, Sousa. Was trying to do you a courtesy.” He stared at the blank wall in front of him, taking note of all the dirt staining it.

He heard Daniel let out a heavy sigh. “For God’s sake, Jack, just _look at me_.” Jack did so, and he couldn’t stop himself from gasping a little. Sure, yes, Daniel was now down almost a full leg - the amputation starting about mid-thigh, just like what the file had said - but that didn’t mean that he didn’t look just as breathtaking now as he had ten years ago.

Daniel’s hair, messy from where he’d briefly toweled over it, curled over his forehead and around his ears. Stray water droplets fell from Daniel’s hair down his shoulders and chest, creating paths down his abdomen until they were caught by the towel tied around Daniel’s hips, where Jack didn’t let his eyes linger for too long. Daniel’s remaining full leg was remarkably toned, something Jack must’ve subconsciously known but had never seriously considered, given the exercise Daniel must get now hauling the prosthetic around. “God,” Jack breathed, and a moment later he prayed Daniel wouldn’t take it as a sign that Jack was still _half in love with Daniel_.

Luckily for Jack, Daniel still thought that Jack hated him. Daniel scoffed, staring at the wall beside Jack’s head but not at Jack directly. He didn’t move to hide himself in any way, clearly having been told not to be ashamed of his body, even now. “Yeah, that’s what I thought you’d say, Thompson.” Having said his piece, Daniel shook his head and started moving towards his bedroom, the heavy thump of his crutch the only sound in the silence. “Bathroom’s all your’s, Thompson.” With that, Daniel shut to door to his bedroom, leaving Jack alone with his thoughts in the empty hallway.

* * *

“Jack.”

A groan.

“ _Jack_.”

Another groan.

“Jack Thompson, I know you can hear me. Now get your ass up out of the dirt and help me figure out a way to get us out of here.”

This time, Jack didn’t bother groaning, just opening his eyes slowly in an effort to adjust to the light - which wasn’t really an issue, given how poorly lit their “cell” was. Daniel was right, though - Jack did need to get his ass out of the dirt. He rolled over onto his side, waiting for the pounding in his head so subside a bit more before he attempted to stand, lest he made a fool of himself yet again in front of Daniel. Jack managed to maneuver himself into a sitting position against the wall before he opened his eyes again, finding Daniel propped up against the wall across from him. “Good morning, sunshine,” Daniel said, his words sounding oddly less patronizing than he knew Daniel meant them to be, almost fond if Jack had to name it.

Jack waved a hand, adjusting so that he could get his feet under himself, a sudden metallic rattling noise drawing his attention. A quick glance at his feet confirmed it - Jack had a heavy metal cuff around his ankle with a chain attached, letting him only go as far as the door if Jack was estimating the chain’s length properly. “Well this is turning out to be an interesting assignment,” Jack said, going for levity. He moved to stand then, wobbling uncertainly on his feet for a few moments before crashing back down into the dirt. It was only as he was staring frustratedly at his feet that Jack realized that Daniel hadn’t attempted to stand - and with good reason, Jack thought, suddenly noticing that his partner was down a shoe.

His staring must have made Daniel uncomfortable, given the way Daniel started shifting where he was sitting. “They must’ve taken it while we were out,” Daniel said by way of an explanation as to why he was suddenly lacking a foot. “I realized it as soon as I woke up, that the prosthesis was gone. I’m still hyper-aware of it, even after all this time. Guess whoever it is we’re dealing with has either done their research or has been paying attention while we’ve been working undercover.” Daniel sighed overdramatically, suddenly throwing Jack’s brain ten years into the past. “Stark’s gonna kill me when I tell him I need a new one.”

An amused huff made its way out of Jack’s mouth without consulting his brain first. “Don’t need to tell him that you lost it.” Daniel raised an eyebrow at Jack, clearly not following. “I think I’ve got a good idea of where to look for it and, if it’s not there, I can just get the guy who kidnapped us to tell me where it is. Then, all you need to do is tell Stark that your’s needs a tune-up, or whatever,” Jack said, attempting to cover up how his mind had been racing since he’d realized Daniel was incredibly vulnerable at that moment.

“You’re gonna spare time to look for my leg?” Daniel scoffed, obviously reading Jack’s response the way Jack had meant for him to - as an offhanded comment, something he’d do for anyone, not just for Daniel. “How sweet. Don’t go getting all sentimental on me, Thompson. You’re the only one of us with a pair of working legs, so you’re gonna have to use ‘em to get us out of the mess we’re in.”

Jack waved a hand at Daniel, already looking around at the walls and ceiling of their cell while internally sighing in relief. “I’m working on it, Sousa.” He stood again, standing for a few moments before deeming it safe for him to walk around the cell. It looked fairly secure, no cracks of any kind in any of the walls and most especially not around the cell’s single door. It appeared to be bolted shut from the outside, with one of those slide windows so that their captors could look in and check on them and only have Daniel and Jack see their eyes. “Don’t suppose you’ve got anything we could use to get through this door, do you?”

Daniel gave Jack a dry look. “Sorry, I left my blowtorch in my other leg.” Despite their situation, Jack couldn’t help but laugh. After all these years, Jack had forgotten how sharp Daniel’s wit could be at times.

* * *

“You wanna know why I never called you back after graduation?” Jack stood, angrily unbuttoning his shirt and throwing it off, his undershirt following shortly afterwards. He turned around so that Daniel could see his back. He could tell the exact moment Daniel figured out what his scars were, the sharp intake of air more than enough to tell Jack what he needed to know. “My old man,” Jack said bitterly, staring at the dirty cell wall in front of him and knowing exactly what the crisscrossing scars on his back looked like. “He saw us hug at graduation. The minute we got home and the door was shut, he started beating me. Called me a fag and a fairy and a dozen other names while he hit me. Made me swear on my life I’d never so much as think your name ever again.”

Daniel’s expression was hard to read when Jack turned back around, the brunette looking up at Jack from his place on the ground. “Your father’s been dead for five months,” he said, the unspoken question hanging in the air between them.

Jack huffed out an unamused laugh. “Yeah. Day after he died, I got promoted to homicide detective. Finally out of robbery, and I get my past thrown back at me.” He shook his head, avoiding Daniel’s eyes. “Thought it was bad enough to walk into a diner for breakfast and have Angie serve me. No, I walk into the precinct and you and Peggy are there and I’m suddenly twenty-four years old again, ready to go hang out in one of our dorm rooms after classes are done for the day.” Jack stared up at the ceiling, shaking his head again. “And then, Peggy goes and kicks my ass in front of everyone, and the look on your face,” he continued, his voice fading as he looked at Daniel again. “God, the look on your face.”

“You didn’t look me in the eye that entire first day.” Daniel’s voice wasn’t accusatory in any way, just stating a fact. “I thought it was because of my leg.”

Jack laughed again, still unamused and increasingly bitter. “Like your leg even matters? So what, you’ve got something else to carry around with you. Still the same old Daniel Sousa to me, pal, ain’t nothing ever gonna change that.” He stopped talking then, worried about what else might fall out of his mouth if he continued.

Wasn’t like it mattered, because Daniel took it as a cue to speak again. “You couldn’t handle me looking down at you like that.” Jack nodded because, like he said, even after all these years, Daniel could read him like a book.

* * *

“Dammit, Sousa! You’re not allowed to die on me!” Jack pressed his shirt down against Daniel’s bullet wound, ignoring Peggy’s shouting for an ambulance in the background. “I’ve got too many damn questions for you. Why do you always wear those stupid sweater vests anyway?”

Daniel laughed, groaning immediately afterwards because of the bullet lodged in his abdomen. “Is this you trying to keep me focused, Thompson? ‘Cause you’re absolutely shit at it,” he added, pressing one of his own hands over Jack’s in order to add more pressure. Daniel stared up at the sky, focusing on his breathing for a few moments. “I remember how much you hated them, every time someone walked past us on campus in one of those damn things. You’d shake your head and go ‘That’s a hell of an offense to the fashion industry’ and Jarvis’d try to tell you the history and Peggy and I would just roll our eyes because Ana and Angie’d be in class across campus while the four of us were just walking.”

Jack shook his head. “God, of all of the things for you to pick up from college,” he said, shaking his head. Cautiously, he glanced away from Daniel’s hand over his own to look at Daniel’s face, currently not giving a damn about what was showing on his face. “You gonna keep talking or do I have to make you tell more bad stories?”

Daniel let out a laugh, sharp and biting, followed by a groan as the pain set in. “Do you remember -?” He groaned in pain again and Jack pressed down hard on the wound. “Do you remember our first date?”

Jack couldn’t meet Daniel’s eyes when he replied. “No, think that one might’ve slipped my mind.”

“Bullshit,” Daniel said, looking at Jack’s face. “Called me a romantic sap ‘cause I wouldn’t tell you where we were going. God, the look on your face when you saw the clearing set up with the blanket and the candles everywhere.” He groaned again, Jack shifting pressure on his wound again. “I thought you were gonna kiss me, right then and there. There was no one there, so the only people who woulda known woulda been us, but I _wanted_ it so badly. Even if it was just that one kiss and you swore me off for the rest of your life. Right then, I just needed to know what it was like, kissing you.”

The air was thick between them when Jack didn’t reply. “I couldn’t pluck up the courage to do it, in case you were wondering why I didn’t,” Jack finally said, his voice soft as he met Daniel’s eyes.

A hard look appeared in Daniel’s eyes then, the brunette setting his jaw in determination. Half a heartbeat before it happened, Jack realized what Daniel was planning. But by the time his brain caught up, Daniel was already kissing Jack. Daniel’s hand was warm on Jack’s neck, anchoring them together. Jack was frozen for a few moments before he started kissing Daniel back, his mind divided between kissing Daniel and making sure he applied enough pressure to Daniel’s wound.

When the two of them separated, there was a heartbreaking expression on Daniel’s face, accompanied by the saddest smile Jack had ever seen. “Sorry, Jack,” Daniel said, his voice breaking on Jack’s name. “I couldn’t let go without knowing what it was like, even if it was just the once.” He started breathing hard then, and Jack became aware that, while he’d tried to keep going, he’d actually let up on a lot of the pressure on Daniel’s wound. Jack curse before pressing down on it again. “Jack?”

Jack looked up at Daniel’s face, dragging his eyes away from his own hands. “Yeah?”

Daniel rested a hand on Jack’s cheek. “Call me by my name?”

Jack’s eyes went wide then and he shook his head. “Last time you said something like that, you made it sound like you were prepared to die right then and there. If me calling you Sousa keeps you alive, then that’s what I’m gonna call you.” Daniel rubbed his thumb on Jack’s cheek, letting out a weak laugh at Jack’s stubbornness.

**Author's Note:**

> honestly tho, that musical interlude in season 2 cleared my skin, healed any and all sickness i had, made my crops thrive, and gave way to the headcanon that daniel sousa can actually sing like an angel  
> also, ten points to whoever can figure out what angie's singing in the first scene


End file.
